Comments on: FiveOunces Contest: Best Idea to Improve The Ultimate Fighter 7http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2007/12/04/fiveounces-contest-best-idea-to-improve-the-ultimate-fighter-7/
Your Destination for Insider MMA News and OpinionTue, 03 Mar 2015 22:08:14 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1By: Cathedronhttp://fiveouncesofpain.com/2007/12/04/fiveounces-contest-best-idea-to-improve-the-ultimate-fighter-7/#comment-48835
Tue, 09 Sep 2008 17:08:08 +0000http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2007/12/04/fiveounces-contest-best-idea-to-improve-the-ultimate-fighter-7/#comment-48835Take a documentary approach for the first few shows and follow some recruiters from the UFC as they check out feeder promotions for new talent.

The next few shows, pick sixteen guys and have them fight each other to see which eight deserve to go on while the coaches and trainers take notes and talk shit to each other or whatever hype they need to do.

Then switch to the guys getting divided up between two training camps (either existing or put together by a specific fighter for the show). Having only eight fighters at this point means we can get to know each one individually and also can see exactly what they are trying to improve. There will be no house, they can call home every day (while the viewers listen in), and can even be visited by friends and family who will be interviewed to give us a deeper look into each fighter. Constantly check with the trainers and coaches as to what they are working on as well.

Meanwhile, the eight who lost are fighting to earn the two alternate positions. This allows for at least one fight every episode during the training camp shows. These alternate fights would be very interesting as all of the fighters know it’s their last chance.

For the last few shows, it’s mainly just an eight man tournament (with the two alternates fighting for a guaranteed bout on the live finale if they haven’t had to replace anyone at this point).

The final show would be a live Fight Night event just like they do now.

04. Coin toss (like the Ortiz-Shamrock coin). Winner gets the “favored fighters” in the bracket by number rank they can’t choose the underdogs even if they want them.

05. Fighter’s move into their coaches’ houses for the preliminary training phase. They live by their coaches’ rules. Rules will probably differ based on the coaches.

06. Train for a week (or two).

07. All preliminary fights on same day of filming (not same episode).

08. Repeat cointoss, but include the winning coach gets first pick of eliminated fighters to use as training partners, loser gets second, winner gets 3rd, etc.

09. Fighters switch houses if necessary.

10. Train for a week or two.

11. Quarterfinals filmed all on the same day.

12. Coin toss/ team reconfigs

13. Train for a week or two.

14. Semis both filmed on the same day.

15. The normal take a break before the finale deal.

This way, team loyalties would be somewhat switched up every so often, giving the viewers that aren’t that into MMA some dramatic bs to watch when the teams get “shook up” every couple of episodes.

The fighters would get a chance to learn from each coach, and the “pick the fights” crap would go away. We’d get a better chance to gauge who was the better coach.

This structure would also pay homage to the UFC’s origins as a tournament, which would also increase the liklihood of the best two fighters matching up in the finals, not the preliminaries.

Agree or Disagree: 00

]]>By: Adam Morganhttp://fiveouncesofpain.com/2007/12/04/fiveounces-contest-best-idea-to-improve-the-ultimate-fighter-7/#comment-7765
Sat, 08 Dec 2007 06:05:22 +0000http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2007/12/04/fiveounces-contest-best-idea-to-improve-the-ultimate-fighter-7/#comment-7765This contest is now officially closed! Thanks for all who participated, we had a HUGE turnout! Can’t thank you guys enough for the well thought out answers and we will announce a winner on Monday.

Thanks again from all of us at 5 Oz!

Agree or Disagree: 00

]]>By: Erichttp://fiveouncesofpain.com/2007/12/04/fiveounces-contest-best-idea-to-improve-the-ultimate-fighter-7/#comment-7764
Sat, 08 Dec 2007 03:11:51 +0000http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2007/12/04/fiveounces-contest-best-idea-to-improve-the-ultimate-fighter-7/#comment-7764-16 people in the house
-8 that have previously competed in the UFC and had little to no success but have potential (like season 4’s competitors)
-8 that have never competed in the UFC, but have the experience and knowledge to hold their own (These people should be outstanding; the best of the best. True heavyweights should be selected, not fighters that will drop down to light heavyweight once the show ends,)
-The 16 fighters are heavyweights (I know middleweight is also thin, but look at the heavyweight division, it isn’t much better)
-I would have the 2 coaches be Randy Couture and Tim Sylvia. This would eventually lead to a match when the season is over between the 2 coaches. Randy, obviously, would need to be lured back with a truckload of cash. Everybody has a price. The UFC needs to find his price and get him back. I think the payoff of seeing Sylvia fight Couture and potentially lose again will be enough of a draw to lure viewers in. It would be Couture’s first fight back and he would be defending his title against the interim champ Sylvia (if Sylvia wins in February) or against ‘Tim Sylvia heavyweight title contender’ (Big Nog would be the interim champ in this scenario). Tim Sylvia is one of the most hated fighters in the UFC and I think people will watch the show to eventually see him fail. It obviously wouldn’t be built up for Sylvia to fail, but it can be played off that he was injured the first time and he wants to take back his belt from Randy. If he has the right promos, Sylvia can be built up as a huge heel.
-The challenges should be brought back. It seems like some of the shows drag on a bit with all the whining and in-fighting, but if you inserted a challenge every episode it would break up the monotony.
-I would have the format change a bit. Couture would coach the 8 veteran fighters and Sylvia would coach the 8 newbies. On the first show, everyone would pick a number, 1 through 8 and they would be seeded on either side of a 16-man bracket. New guys would only fight veterans.
-Having them seeded and knowing who they will fight in advance would allow the fighters to develop a gameplan for their upcoming opponent with more of a notice. This would be a disadvantage for the veterans, since they probably have not seen the newbies fight before, but that would be evened out since they would have more of an advantage fighting in the cage more often than the new fighters.
-If a newbie makes it to the finals, he has made a name for himself and battled through a handful of veterans to get there. If a veteran makes it, he has won some fights and proven that he still belongs in the UFC.
-The top prize would be a large sum of up front guaranteed money in addition to the regular contract.

Agree or Disagree: 00

]]>By: bubbafathttp://fiveouncesofpain.com/2007/12/04/fiveounces-contest-best-idea-to-improve-the-ultimate-fighter-7/#comment-7762
Sat, 08 Dec 2007 00:51:27 +0000http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2007/12/04/fiveounces-contest-best-idea-to-improve-the-ultimate-fighter-7/#comment-7762I’d like to see Miletich, Jackson, Sperry, Follis, Crazy Bob, Hackleman,etc… get involved with the show. These guys are the ones who are seriously training past present and future champ’s.Get them to work in tandem with whoever they bring in as active fighter
Make the active fighter coaches fight for contention at the end of the season instead of fighting for a title. Obviously Hendo’s fighting Anderson Silva so they are not possible. But I’m sure the UFC can come up with something. Maybe that could be the next stage of a contest.
Location, location, location. I can’t believe I’m saying this , but, aren’t they making Vegas seem a little boring. Change it up. Go high altitude or something.
Absolutely no rookies or amateurs. If they’ve only got a couple of MMA fights they better have at least another dozen Muay Thai bouts, or grappling matches with some descent results.ie: Bowman, Thacker etc…
Get rid of the team aspect. I don’t want to watch an MMA show where they throw a bunch of alpha males in the same house to see what kinda shit happens. I want to see training, sparring, rolling(way more of it at least).
Last but not least, I want to measure these guys skills myself(through observation not practice), Instead of these cheese bowling matches, ping pong games, and billiards, let’s see a grappling tourny among the guy’s.
Just throwin’ it out there, I’m pretty sure they like their format the way it is, I just wanna see fights not drama.

Agree or Disagree: 00

]]>By: Anthttp://fiveouncesofpain.com/2007/12/04/fiveounces-contest-best-idea-to-improve-the-ultimate-fighter-7/#comment-7754
Fri, 07 Dec 2007 22:59:42 +0000http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2007/12/04/fiveounces-contest-best-idea-to-improve-the-ultimate-fighter-7/#comment-77541. Use MMA trainers as coaches and have the fighters relocate and train fulltime at their respective gyms. Juanito Ibarra vs Randy Couture could be the next TUF series, with Rampage Jackson, Cheick Kongo, and Michael Bisping would server as Juanito’s assistance / fighter’s training partners, and Xtreme Couture would have Forrest Griffin, Stephan Bonner and Wanderlei Silva helping out Randy Couture. This will take the show into well known gyms that have a number of UFC fighters that would be feature on the show. Currently, the season mainly has a UFC coach and occasional guest coaches. But by going into these gyms, you have a chance of having seeing a lot more UFC fighters helping out, getting camera time and exposure. Tyson Griffin is one that could be exposed on the new TUF format without having to actually be a TUF fighter (since he’s already past that point as a fighter), but by being a part of Xtreme Couture and helping out as a training partner for the aspiring TUF fighters.

The undertone of Juanito Ibarra vs. Randy Couture could be a Rampage Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin (or Wanderlei Silva) fight that’s planned at the time. This will also introduce casual fans to the MMA trainers / stables of Team Quest, Xtreme Couture, MFS, Caeser Gracie’s School, Chute Box, Black House, etc. So when a casual fan is watching a UFC fight with an unknown fighter, if they see Greg Jackson or Pat Miletich in their corner, it would give them something to identify with the fighter. If they like Rampage Jackson and knowing the Juanito Ibarra connection, they might root for a Juanito Ibarra-trained fighter.

2. Get rid of the house. Showing aspiring professional fighters drinking and trashing the house, pooping in the upperdeck of the toilet, etc, is not a good way to portay MMA fighters. The show should mainly focus on the professionalism and dedication it takes to be an MMA fighter. It seems the house has a way or showing the worst side of the fighters, mainly because it takes the fighters away from their families/friends with no connection to the outside world and makes them live in a house with 15 other fighters. It doesn’t accurately portray how the fighters really are. I don’t think we need to know the fighters on the level TUF currently portrays them in order to like the fighters. For example, I used to like Mac Danzig before I saw TUF 6. But I also love Anderson Silva, who never was on TUF, but all I got to know about him was through his fighting style, and his humble personality through pre/post fight interviews. TUF should concentrate on building a fighter’s identity through this as well as training regiment rather than their lifestyle in a confined reality TV house.

3. Put fights on live once a month. The show would have to be put together more in a real-time basis so it’ll track the fighters training and preparing for their fights as we move towards the fight. UFC PPV fights are generally once a month now, and UFC Fight Nights are sporadic throughout the year. UFC Fight Nights on Spike should be made once a month as well. Therefore, TUF first round, quarterfinals, and semifinals would need to take place on these cards. 8 fights take place in the first round, so 4 of them could take place on a UFC Fight Night live on Spike TV, and the other 4 could take place on the preliminary fight card on a UFC PPV fight. Quarterfinals would only have 4 fights, so 2 on a Fight Night card, 2 on a UFC PPV card. This would introduce the fighters live to the fans, help sell PPV cards, and build excitement to TUF. If a non TUF fan is watching them fight on a UFC Fight Night card as a TUF quarterfinals fight, it would help draw them to watch TUF if they see a fighter they like. Making the fights go live during the season of TUF will make it sustain excitement throughout the season. It’s a big diference watching a fight live vs an exhibition fight that took place months ago in the UFC training center.

Agree or Disagree: 00

]]>By: Brandthttp://fiveouncesofpain.com/2007/12/04/fiveounces-contest-best-idea-to-improve-the-ultimate-fighter-7/#comment-7748
Fri, 07 Dec 2007 22:07:10 +0000http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2007/12/04/fiveounces-contest-best-idea-to-improve-the-ultimate-fighter-7/#comment-7748Allow the fighters to get out of the house to participate in events that focus around MMA training – mentally and physically.

Have the fighters compete in local 10k runs, local weight lifting competitions, or with local jiu-jitsu schools to help teach kids.

Have the fighters work with the city to provide training for schoolchildren and offer and anti-bullying seminars.

Also let them work some community service.

Agree or Disagree: 00

]]>By: Psykojojohttp://fiveouncesofpain.com/2007/12/04/fiveounces-contest-best-idea-to-improve-the-ultimate-fighter-7/#comment-7743
Fri, 07 Dec 2007 21:19:01 +0000http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2007/12/04/fiveounces-contest-best-idea-to-improve-the-ultimate-fighter-7/#comment-7743First, they need to get out of vegas. I say take them out of the manson where they are living it up like fat rats and put them in a cabin with friggin bunks. Have them spar in a barn! Thats right, I don’t want to see pools, jacuzzis and a tropical themed backyards with waterfalls and plastic flamingos. I want them to rough it because they want to be there and they are men. They aren’t there to chill in a pool and play foosball. And no state of the art gym, I want raining facilities in the yard and barn, no more shuttles and no more excuses for not showing up to practice.

I hate all the bs drama in the recent seasons, I want to see more of the teams and coachs training and not whats happening with Mac’s birdfeeder or some dude shadowboxing with his dong out infront of a mirror…..well ok that was funny. I’m all for some drama and acouple good laughs, but I don’t need the first half of the season focusing on a guy who doesn’t want to be there and his struggles with poontang withdrawl, I don’t really care about this pussweed ‘missing his girl’, when I’m getting ready to watch the show with my beer and sourdough pretzles, I don’t want the first damn thing I hear is some asspirate crying about a girl. What I do want is for the coach to kick the punk out and bring a real man in. Even my wife, a fan of the absolutly vile lifetime channel (and a big fan of MMA) hates all the damn whining on the show

Agree or Disagree: 00

]]>By: mohttp://fiveouncesofpain.com/2007/12/04/fiveounces-contest-best-idea-to-improve-the-ultimate-fighter-7/#comment-7742
Fri, 07 Dec 2007 21:15:49 +0000http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2007/12/04/fiveounces-contest-best-idea-to-improve-the-ultimate-fighter-7/#comment-7742This wouldn’t work well for TUF 7, but maybe for TUF 8 they could have seasons compete against eachother. Maybe take the best 8 welterweights and middleweights from TUF 1, and have them go against 8 guys from TUF 6 and 8 middleweights from TUF 7. i think they had everyone fight at light heavyweight in TUF 1 so maybe we can throw that out, but so something like that.

but i would like to reiterate a thanks for doing this. I was impressed with a lot of the solid ideas proposed here, and proposing it in the form of a contest makes it much more fun. thanks